Electrochemistry of Sc3N@C78 and Sc3N@C80 (Ih): On achieving reversible redox waves of the trimetal nitride endohedral fullerenes

Electrochemical behavior of Sc3N@C78 solution was investigated for the first time by cyclic voltammetry (CV) as well as differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Reversible redox features of Sc3N@C78 were obtained in contrast to that of Dy3N@C78, for which the corresponding redox waves were very recently found to be irreversible. Toluene/MeCN and four other solvents have been identified, wherewith reversible redox waves can also be observed for Sc3N@C80 (Ih) at a normal potential scan rate, whereas o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) was found to give only irreversible redox behavior as concluded by other researchers. The redox properties of Sc3N@C78 and Sc3N@C80 (Ih) are comparatively discussed on the basis of their different electronic structures and interactions with the solvent molecules. Additionally, electrochemical energy gaps of both Sc3N@C78 and Sc3N@C80 (Ih) were obtained.